THE much anticipated refurbishment of the old Durban Ice Rink is nearing completion with the new Durban Ice Arena scheduled to open shortly with a new rink director at its helm.
Mark Cockerell, a former US figure skater, is the director of the Durban Ice Arena and cannot wait to get himself on the ice as well as introduce Durbanites and skaters to his Skate your Dreams programme. Bringing his wealth of experience on ice for more than 40 years, as a professional figure skater and coach, Cockerell said the Ice Arena is going to be of international standard size and comparable to the best ice rinks around the world.
“It's actually going to be better than most because with the new upstairs restaurant which will look down on the skaters, it will be something quite awesome,” he added.
Cockerell, also known as the “Ice Man”, said his programme, Skate Your Dreams, was a unique coaching programme, which was, “not about just medals and winning, but, getting everyone regardless of their talent and athletic capability, to aim and get to their personal best. The kids enjoy and excel and the medals usually follow. My ultimate goal is to get the local skaters to compete internationally!”
While the rink gets ready for its big reveal, the Ice Man is still working hard training local skaters off ice at the beachfront. “The skaters need to be in shape (skating shape) when they hit the ice otherwise they will have a much increased chance of injury as well as having significant set backs from muscle coordination loss. So we practice everything we do on ice like the jumps, springs, balance and agility on the ground.”
Currently the arena is a month or two away from completion, with every effort going into safety standards. While many ice skaters are itching to get on the ice, the Ice Man said they can't be as eager as he is. “We have completed the first layer of sand, insulation, there is a layer of foam and a lot more water-proofing, so if the next Ice Age hits, it will never leak!” he joked. Cockerell said there would be more sealing and a concrete layer before they could “flip the switch and make ice.” “Once it is on, its on and even load shedding won't stop us from skating,” he added.
Durban is in for a lot of entertainment when the arena opens according to Cockerell. “We have amazing ideas for great entertainment shows with the hospitality side of the Convention Centre combined with the ice Arena. It's going to be something the city has never seen before. Think homegrown kids skating on ice in choreographed shows, symphony music shows and ballets.
“It will be a cool experience for all with pure entertainment and family fun, but there will be space for ice sport and training KZN athletes to become the best and bring Durban the medals.”
While still tight-lipped about the official opening of the arena, Sastri Ramiah, organisational leader, said it would be opening “soon”, “The new Ice Arena is going to change Durban for sure,” he added.
